Category Archives: scripting

One option would be to write an international bestseller and make a windfall.

But that’s only one way to leverage your journal.

If you’re like most high-achieving women, you know you’re not motivated by money, really. You value wealth, not as a status symbol, but for what it can do for the people in your life. That’s why so many new micro-loan programs for developing countries are geared towards women; they’re more productive with the money they earn.

On the other hand, it’s the lack of wealth that keeps you from doing a lot of things you’d like to do for yourself, your family and your community.

You also know that, while you’ve got so much to be grateful for, you’ve got a much bigger contribution to make.

So, let’s make it happen.

Before I explain this tool for creating wealth, I want to remind you how powerful our minds are. The most recent issue of Forbes features an excellent article on the incredible power of placebos. It turns out that placebos are even more powerful for relieving pain and nausea than previously realized. Researchers have done brain scans showing that the same chemical reaction takes place in the brains of the drug recipients AND the placebo recipients. Another finding is that patients respond favorably to rituals as part of a medical treatment. No joke!

In the spring of 2008, I began using my journal seriously to create a better life for me and my children. I had been writing in my journal before then, but I learned from an e-course I was taking that I really could script a more attractive future. And how much fun is that!

One of the things I was most clear about was that I wanted to move. I wasn’t sure where, but I knew I wanted to be in the South, near a body of water, and I wanted NEW kitchen and laundry appliances. If you look at my vision boards, they are covered with pictures of the ocean, swimming pools, the Mediterranean Sea, water is everywhere. There’s other stuff too, like a fancy new vacuum cleaner, but it’s clear I crave being near water.

But it was the new kitchen and laundry appliances that really captured my imagination. I was living in this ueber charming cottage, a delightful relic from a time where having one bathroom was considered more than enough. (No need for an outhouse!) And my stove was identical to the one on the “I Love Lucy” television program. The dryer, a nice avocado green, had to be cajoled into working. It did dry the clothes, but you had to ask it nicely.

So I began to write about my ideal home. And new kitchen and laundry appliances were always at the top of my list. Having 3 bathrooms was my next priority.

Well, there’s not space here for the whole story, but on August 16 of last year, I moved into a recently-remodeled swanky condo (there are plenty of ponds with fountains on the grounds ) in an upscale part of Charleston. There is a fantastic beach exactly 5 miles from my house, and there’s a pool here as well.

We also have 3 bathrooms, for the 3 females living here.

You have the same power to manifest good things in your life. It’s a matter of being intentional about it.

Not that you’re playing role of Hamlet at the Washington National Theater, but sometimes one feels anxiety about a certain meeting or presentation. It could even be worry about an upcoming family reunion or encounter.

If you’re feeling uneasy, but not really sure why, stop a think about it. Try to pinpoint what is is, or whose reaction you’re anticipating to be negative. Take the example of a college professor who’s about to return midterm exams to the class. She knows the students were expecting to perform better than they actually did. You also know that they are usually reluctant to take responsibility for not studying; it’s much easier to insist the test was “not fair!”

Thus the instructor knows, from past experience, that the students get defensive about their responsibility and the instructor defends her right to make the exam. It’s a perfectly understandable conflict of interests, it’s not a particularly rewarding experience for either side.

So, besides telling yourself that you really do love the other party and it loves you too, which is always a good idea, you can do something concrete: write the script for how you want it to be, as if it has already happened.

This idea has been endorsed by a variety of smart people, including musician Christine Kane, writer Henriette Anne Klauser, and outrageous marketing man, Joe Vitale.

Instead of writing, “The meeting will be much better than I expected.”

Write, “The meeting exceeding all my expectations; it was flawless!”

Instead of writing, “I will not be defensive when my student insist the test was not fair.”

Write, “Given my experience with disappointed students, it was not surprising that I remained calm and loving and shared responsibility in the co-creation of this outcome. We came up with some specific suggestions to improve student performance on the final exam.”

Instead of writing, “I will not be nervous.”

Write, “I was hardly nervous at all, once I started speaking the words flowed so smoothly. The presentation was outstanding!”

Joe Vitale shared the experience of advance scripting one of his appearances on the Larry King Show. He wrote it out on hotel stationery before the show, and carried the paper with him onto the stage.

Remember, people pick up on your nonverbal communication before you open your mouth. Script the event the way you want it to and then enjoy the results.